Origin of the name grep

[Chip Rosenthal]

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>From: chip at t4test.UUCP (Chip Rosenthal)
>Summary: comment on multiple newsgroups
>Date: Fri, 31-Aug-84 09:06:22 PDT
>
>I would like to sensitize people to one fact here.  It has to do with
>sites which are running news under Eunice.  Either these sites throw
>away multiple newsgroup postings, or the articles are physically
>duplicated into each of the newsgroups.

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I received some mail questioning why not just fix news for Eunice.
Unfortunately, I then proceeded to blast away the mail before I could
answer.  The question is certainly a fair one, so I will send my answer
out over these here airwaves--with appologies.

The problem is that multiple newsgroups entries are implemented with
links.  Eunice, does not support links.  Although a link procedure is
available, the link lasts only during the execution of that program.
When the program terminates, the links disappear, and the file sits on
the disk with the name used in the last linking operation attached to
it.  You can visualize the link as acting as a link while the program
is running, and a rename upon process completion.  (It's not a feature,
it's a bug.)

The 'inews' hack I have seen for Eunice is to perform a copy of the
article.  That is, rather establishing a link from 'net/foobar/123' to
'net/whoopee/432', you physically create a copy of the former, named as
the latter.

If this problem is to be fixed, there are two apparent solutions:
either make links work, or devise a multiple newsgroup algorithm for
Eunice.  Obviously, the first is out of my hands.  If TWG wants to
implement links, wonderful!  (However, I would like to see the 'vi' bug
discussed in 'net.eunice' a while back fixed more than this.) The
second one is more feasible.  And I promise everybody that as soon as I
find myself with several days with nothing more constructive to do, I
will do it.  (Translation: don't hold your breath.)

So, I reitterate my original two points.  First, think again before you
post to seven newsgroups.  Not only will it make the Eunice sites
happier, but it will have the wonderful side effect of keeping news
articles catagorized better.  Secondly, software developers should
realize that Eunice exists, and it don't work exactly the same as ATT &
BSD stuff.  (Kudos to Larry Wall, who has at least two Eunice sites
trying out his 'rn' news reader program.  The program works, and it is
great.)

-- 

Chip Rosenthal, Intel/Santa Clara
{ idi|intelca|icalqa|kremvax|qubix|ucscc } ! t4test ! { chip|news }